Effect Of Intense Pulsed-Light Therapy On Hair Regrowth In C57bl/6j Mice Mediated By Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of low-fluence intense pulsed light (IPL) on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice, and to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of IPL actions on hair growth.Methods: After low-fluence IPL irradiation was applied to depilated dorsal skin of C57BL/6 mice in the telogen, or resting hair cycle phase, tissue samples were obtained and used for histopathological analysis. Hair growth was analyzed by measuring hair length. In addition, protein expression levels of WNT3A and beta-catenin were assayed by western blot.Results: Low-fluence IPL irradiation promoted hair growth by inducing the anagen, or growth, phase in telogenic C57BL/6J mice. In particular, hair growth analysis suggested that application of low-fluence IPL induced an earlier transition from telogen to anagen phase and prolonged the duration of anagen phase compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, western blotting assay revealed that WNT3A and beta-catenin protein levels were up-regulated compared to the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: These findings suggest that low-fluence IPL irradiation may be effective for promoting hair regrowth via activation of the WNT/beta-catenin pathway, and may, therefore, be a potential novel therapeutic treatment to stimulate hair regrowth.